Vital Need for Seapower

Statement

Sequestration would be particularly crippling to American seapower, with $2.1 billion in cuts to the Navy's shipbuilding budget and a $115 million reduction to the Coast Guard's. The Navy would shrink far below its required fleet size -- to levels unseen since World War I.

Because ships are capital-intensive investments, even temporary cuts could weaken production capabilities and lead to the exodus of skilled shipbuilders from the workforce. These high-tech manufacturing jobs are a large and vital component of Mississippi's economy. A well-equipped Navy fortifies America's capacity to respond to threats at home and abroad as countries like North Korea and Iran try to expand their influence.